'Sicario' is a relentless, brutal look at the realities of the drug war

The film wastes no time getting to the nitty-gritty as it
opens with Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) leading the charge on
her own FBI kidnapping task force. During the opening
raid, forty-plus corpses are discovered in the walls of
a home owned by a vicious Mexican cartel.

A Department of Defense "consultant" (Josh Brolin) then plucks a
shell-shocked Kate from the field to join his interagency
operation, along with Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), another
alleged DoD "consultant."

From the very moment Kate agrees to join her new team, she
is systematically lied to. She is told they're going on a trip to
El Paso, but wind up in the war-torn streets of Ciuadad Juarez,
where limbless bodies hang in public view. Kate is never briefed
on the operation and remains entirely in the dark and
even when she thinks she's got all the facts, they're
not entirely accurate. This is par for the course.

As Kate becomes embedded deeper into this lawless world, her
repeated attempts to play things "by the book" are
systematically rejected. By the end of the film, the ugly truth
is revealed: There's no room for morals or ethics here.

Welcome to the war on drugs.

Lionsgate

"Sicario" quite masterfully presents the harsh realities of life
during a drug war. We are introduced to characters on all sides,
and even dirty cops and cartel members are humanized, which makes
the drama incredibly impactful and hard to swallow. This is
a film so bleak that there are no rules — anything can happen and
to anyone.

"Sicario" is deliberately slow and meanders in its second
act to a fault. Kate is a conduit for the audience, so we
are just as sheltered by the lack of information as
Kate herself, and this can be aggravating at times and make the
film feel a bit airy and aimless.

That being said, it does all build to an intense, uniquely
shot sequence, and an ending that gave me chills. By then, I had
forgiven the film's (thematically intentional)
disorientation. It's a hauntingly graceful film, and
the methodical pacing ultimately works in its
favor.

Emily Blunt is fantastic as Kate Macer and nails the
nuance associated with doing all she can to be on
the right side of the law and still winding up on the dark side.

Benicio del Toro, however, is the film's greatest asset as a
mysterious force whose allegiances are not made explicitly clear
until all is said and done. He's equal parts thoughtful and
brooding, which makes his rage and determination that much more
palpable.

Lionsgate

It's hard to not crack a smile whenever Brolin's character
is on screen, as he's constantly busting balls and being so
purposefully vague with his team. He's hilarious yet so
cold that it's almost alarming that we find him so amusing.

Technically speaking, the film is gorgeous. The urgency of
its pulsating score, the gorgeous photography (by cinema legend
Roger Deakins), and the commanding performances — every
element works towards a full, truly cinematic experience.
All the violence is handled in such a way that pops with
intensity and dread.

The real beauty of "Sicario" is that it is entirely apolitical
and amoral; it presents the horrors and lets them speak for
themselves. It's not pushing any sort of agenda, but it's so
relentlessly in your face that you'll leave the theater
mortified at how real it all might be.